Have you ever watched the HGTV program The Property
Brothers? My Daniel and I catch most episodes, mainly interested in the designs
and transformations they accomplish. Quite creative, innovative and visionary.
The shows have a sort of pattern. They go like this…
Person or persons desiring ‘dream home’ ready to move in
with all the modern amenities and upgrades – we hear the wish list. Drew Scott,
the realtor brother of the twin set, shows them the perfect house, which the
people fall in love with, but oh no –
the price is at least twice their budget. Angry, the people express shock and
disappointment that Drew would elevate their hopes with perfection just to dash
them in such cruel fashion. Drew assures them his purpose was to give them a
reality check, bring them back down to earth, and consider an option that will
get them the dream home they want within their budget – a fixer-upper. The
people reluctantly agree to give it a shot. They see several run down,
absolutely nasty properties Drew believes could be ideal, and the people sigh
in despair – I just can’t see it.
Enter Jonathan, the contractor/designer/carpenter of the
set, who mocks up renovation designs for the top two house choices. Every time,
the people exclaim – Wow! Is that even the same space? It looks amazing! Is
it within our budget? This all by looking
at a computer representation of what could be. The brothers assure the people
that yes, indeed, it’s all possible. The people choose one of the two options.
The renovations start.
It’s hard work. They inevitably run into budget-threatening
problems. The people persistently doubt Jonathan’s ability. Some even say out
loud – I don’t think you can do this. To
which I yell at the T.V. – of course he can! He’s the professional!
How many times has he done this? And how many times have you? You think you
know better than him? Geesh!! Jonathan just
continues to ask for trust. The people roll their eyes and plow on since they
have no other choice.
In the end, the ‘dream home’ is completed on schedule, on or
under budget, and in a way that always has the people proclaiming through their
tears – Oh, it’s more beautiful than I ever imagined.
After several episodes, I start to wonder if their reactions,
doubts and joys, are scripted. Probably, right? I still watch it b/c the
different designs interest me and well, let’s face it, the brothers are really
cute. And funny. So it’s entertaining enough.
But it got me thinking. The process is familiar b/c in life,
I feel like I do the same thing as each person/persons appearing on this show.
Check it out...
Life is like a renovation. We’d like to have the move-in
ready, dreamy life, but we can’t afford that because of the cost of sin (that
would be ‘death’). So God has made a way for us to have life, but we have to go
through the fixer-upper process to get what we want. We might wrinkle our noses
or roll our eyes or sigh dramatically, but God assures us that if we commit to
the renovation, He can perfect our life over time and under budget – meaning,
we don’t have to pay the price of death b/c He’s already done it.
He takes us on a tour first, showing us everything we don’t
want to see – the nastiness and filth of our sin. We gag and complain, but He
says – Don’t worry! I can transform all of this into beauty! We can’t see it – it looks too dirty, run down,
impossible to improve. As we read God’s Word, though, we can see His vision for
our lives. It’s amazing! Gorgeous! Incredible! Can He really do that? Can He
really transform such an awful looking life into something awesome and
acceptable and desirable? He says – YES! If you trust Me to see you
through the renovation.
We commit.
First, demolition. Knocking down walls, tearing out unwanted
features, uncovering hidden issues that compromise structural soundness or
safety. It’s tough going, stressful, a challenge to the faith you’ve put in the
Renovator. Worries set in, discouragement, and out right doubt. You find
yourself, in weariness and fear, ranting at God – Do you really know what
You’re doing??
We forget – He’s been around a while. He’s done this before.
He’s the Master. He even knows a thing or two about carpentry.
After demolition, only a gutted space and a firm foundation
remain. Ever feel like that? Gutted? Empty? And too tired to conjure up the
slightest image of what you and God were aiming for in the first place? But God
is concerned about bringing us up to code, making sure our structure is safe
and secure and ready to be built upon. Usually, we’re only interested in
cosmetics, right?
However, an empty space is also a clean slate. And if the
Property Brothers can do wonders with a clean slate, don’t you think God can do
infinitely and amazingly MORE?
Our problem is impatience. Life renovations take a lifetime.
And though we’ll see improvements and upgrades along the way, the finished
product lies beyond time. But imagine, no matter how life on earth ends for you
(and it will end, mind you, unless Jesus comes back first), opening your eyes
and seeing, like going through the front door and seeing for the first time
your perfectly renovated home, Heaven. Two things, other than physically giving
Jesus a grateful embrace for His sacrifice, we can look forward to. #1 – New –
a.k.a. renovated – bodies. #2 – a dream
home tailored perfectly to you. I’m pretty sure we’ll have the same reaction
every featured couple on Property Brothers does when they see the finished
product – Oh my, it’s more than I could ever have imagined.
So when I get down or discouraged, I think of the Property
Brothers and Jesus. If I keep the faith, the results will be overwhelmingly
amazing.
Have a wonderful week, Dry Ground friends! Be blessed!
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